Today I’m thrilled to have agent A.J. Van
Belle here. They’re a junior agent at The Booker Albert Literary Agency.
Status: A.J. is closed to queries until 2/1/2026 and will be open to queries on days 1-5 each month.
Hi
A.J.! Thanks so much for joining us.
About
A.J.:
1.
Tell us how you became an agent, how long you’ve been one, and what you’ve been
doing as an agent.
This may sound a bit clichéd, but it’s true: I
was moved to enter agenting by how inspiring my own agent is at her job. As a
lifelong writer, it took me a while to find the right partner in an agent,
someone whose enthusiasm makes me feel endlessly supported. Once I found that,
my creativity soared. I wanted to offer that same support to help other writers
grow and reach their audience. Having been a beta reader and critique partner
for fellow writers for decades and a mentor in formal programs for the last few
years, I decided to apply as a literary agent intern at the Booker Albert
Agency in 2023. After interning for 18 months, I stepped into the role of
junior agent and opened my own inbox.
So many exciting queries came in that I’ve
only been open to queries for two short periods in 2025, and I have a lot of
wonderful requested material from that second open period yet to read. Out of
more than 2,700 queries received, I’ve signed 15 clients. Ten of my clients are
on sub, with the other five preparing their manuscripts to head out to editor
inboxes in 2026. Three client books have sold already:
A Legacy of Blood and Bone by Millie Abecassis, available now from Row
House Publishing and Spotify
The Color of Time by Millie Abecassis, coming in May 2026 from
Shiraki Press
Spit and Touch Iron by Michael Strode, coming soon from Ruadán
Books
About
the Agency:
2.
Share a bit about your agency and what it offers to its authors.
What I love most about the Booker Albert
Agency is that every single one of us is dedicated to building long-term
relationships with our clients. As a boutique agency, we have the ability to
develop personal connections with our clients and focus on building each
author’s career, with attention to each client’s specific goals for creative
growth and publication.
What
They’re Looking For:
3.
What age groups do you represent—picture books, MG, and/or YA? What genres do
you represent, and what are you looking for in submissions for these genres?
I represent all age groups. So far, I haven’t
sought queries specifically for picture books, since I launched my agenting
career with less expertise in that market than in MG and YA. However, I now
represent two amazing picture book authors and I’m excited to be expanding into
this younger area.
In MG and YA, I’m open to all genres. I
receive more fantasy submissions than any other genre, so, while I love
fantasy, I would also love to see more of just about everything else. I’m
always happy to see MG and YA contemporary, historical, sci-fi, thriller,
horror, speculative, literary, mystery/suspense, and romcom in my inbox.
4. Is there anything you would be especially
excited to seeing in the genres you are interested in?
Some things I would love to see are:
- Historical
MG and YA with just as much lovingly crafted, thorough world-building as
we often see in fantasy.
- Sci-fi
that’s rich in sensory detail and in character emotion we can relate to.
Stories that are grounded in the characters’ experience of the moment,
even if they’re not grounded on Earth!
- Own-voices
BIPOC, trans, and disabled characters.
- Fiction
that explores fresh, nuanced perspectives on technology.
- Nonfiction
in all age categories.
What
They Aren’t Looking For:
5.
What types of submissions are you not interested in?
I’m not the right fit for books that center on
organized religion, of any denomination (but am very open to elements of
non-denominational spirituality).
Any book that has been published before will, regretfully, have to be a pass,
since books that have already been published are a tough sell in the
traditional market.
Apart from that, my interests are broad, so
the old adage “don’t self-reject” applies here. Try me!
Agent
Philosophy:
6.
What is your philosophy as an agent both in terms of the authors you want to
work with and the books you want to represent?
My top priorities as an agent are bringing
fresh voices to readers, and nurturing the creative capacities of the
incredible writers I’m lucky enough to work with. My philosophy is to partner
with writers to help their books become versions of themselves that are true to
what the author hoped to create, and never to lose sight of what a privilege it
is to work with people who have such talent with the written word. While it’s
important to know how each book fits into the market, I’m also here for helping
writers follow their unique visions and carve their own niches. This means I’m
interested in working not only with authors who do superb work that conforms to
established genre norms but also those who aren’t afraid to break the mold and
trust their intuition as it leads them into unusual genre blends or works that
challenge expectations.
Editorial
Agent:
7.
Are you an editorial agent? If so, what is your process like when you’re
working with your authors before submitting to editors?
I am! As a writer myself and as someone who’s
been critique partners with Big 5-published authors for decades, I tend to be
decisive in knowing what developmental work I want to suggest to help each book
become the best version of itself. I’m also flexible, pending the author’s
input. I don’t expect writers to put those recommendations into action until
we’ve discussed their goals for the book, developed a shared vision for it, and
mutually created an edit plan. The author always has final authority over their
book.
With some books, the changes are minimal. With others, we do multiple rounds of
deep-dive edits. It all depends what it takes to reach the goal of bringing the
author’s vision fully to life.
Query
Methods and Submission Guidelines: (Always verify before submitting)
8.
How should authors query you and what do you want to see with the query letter?
I accept queries via
QueryManager, at https://querytracker.net/query/3779. I'm open to queries on days 1-5 of each month.
My query form asks
for a standard query, a synopsis, and the first 10 pages of the manuscript. In
the query letter, I recommend starting with the main character and what they
want. Make sure the big-picture stakes are clear in the query pitch, even if that
means revealing a twist or two. In your bio, I would love to hear something fun
about you, whether it’s your day job, your hobby, or something about your life
experiences that inspired you to write the book you’re pitching.
9. Do you have any specific dislikes in query
letters or the first pages submitted to you?
I’m open to such a range of styles in both
queries and pages that it’s hard to name specific dislikes. With that said,
after reading thousands of queries, I do notice a pattern in which queries that
start with a lot of world-building or high-level information about the way the
plot is organized are less likely to catch my attention than those that give me
an immediate window into the main character’s emotions and core conflict. Bonus
points if there’s a splash of personality and something colorful or surprising
to grab my imagination within the first couple of lines.
As an example, here are two possible different
approaches to the beginning of a query pitch for The Wizard of Oz (which
I chose because it’s in the public domain):
Possibility A:
The Emerald City is terrorized by an evil
witch who uses her magic against its people, who believe their only hope is to
endure, until the arrival of a young girl named Dorothy who is magically
brought to their land from a faraway realm. Dorothy’s arrival accidentally
kills a similar evil witch who was terrorizing a neighboring municipality,
leading the girl to be celebrated as a talented witch killer.
Possibility B:
When ordinary girl Dorothy finds herself
transported from Kansas to a strange land full of Munchkins and magic, the last
thing she expects is to be celebrated as a hero. In fact, all she wants is to
go home to her family’s farm.
Possibility A reads a bit like a textbook
history lesson, albeit a fictional one. Once we’ve dug into it, we do see an
interesting character who may be poised for a good adventure. But we have to
work to extract what’s fun and exciting about the story’s setup.
In contrast, Possibility B tells us something
about Dorothy within the first few words. We’re introduced to the story through
the lens of what Dorothy is feeling, rather than via a mini-treatise on the
politics of the situation. Even though we have less information about the story
(I haven’t explained about the evil witches yet, nor have I mentioned the
Emerald City), we’re more engaged, because we have a sense of Dorothy as a
person and we’re beginning to care what happens to her.
I wouldn’t go so far as to say I dislike
seeing queries that read like Possibility A, but they’re less likely to make me
sit up, take notice, and decide I have to read more about this girl from
Kansas who’s thrust into the position of being an unlikely hero (for example).
Response
Time:
10.
What’s your response time to queries and requests for more pages of a
manuscript?
This varies a lot,
so I don’t like to set expectations that are too specific. I don’t always read
in order for a variety of reasons, including sometimes grouping by genre rather
than the date a query or manuscript was submitted, needing to read before a deadline
when an author has an offer of representation from another agent, and knowing
I’m likely to have an opening in my list for a particular type of book. My
longest response time on a query has been just shy of six months, and I
currently have some manuscripts in my queue still waiting to be read that have
been there for more than four months.
Self-Published
and Small Press Authors:
11. Are you open to representing authors who have
self-published or been published by smaller presses? What advice do you have
for them if they want to try to find an agent to represent them?
Absolutely, yes! I
love working with authors who’ve taken the initiative to publish independently,
whether with a small press or via self-publishing. These authors’ prior
experience usually stands them in good stead when they undertake the journey
toward traditional publishing, too. I’m also always open to my clients seeking
traditional publication in partnership with me for some of their projects while
self-publishing other works.
The one thing it’s important for previously self-published authors to keep in
mind when seeking an agent is that unless they’ve had truly phenomenal sales
with their self-published book, an agent is unlikely to be able to sell that
previously published book to a publisher. It’s important to query agents with a
new book that has never been in print.
Clients:
12.
Who are some of the authors you represent?
I love to shout
about how awesome my clients are! Here are a few of the amazingly talented
writers I represent.
Mary Boone is the author of
more than 70 nonfiction books for kids, including Pedal Pusher,
School of Fish,
and Bugs for Breakfast. Two more
books are set for release in 2026: Flying Feminist and Unfathomable:
20 (Wild but True) Stories of the Ocean. Her latest nonfiction picture book
about a fascinating natural and cultural phenomenon, BATS IN THE BIBLIOTECA,
is on submission now.
Lauren D. Fulter, who is working toward a BFA in creative writing at John Paul The Great
University, previously independently published a YA science-fantasy
series, The Unanswered Questions, funded
by a successful Kickstarter campaign. She is an active member of SCBWI and a
marketing and publicity intern for Whimsical Publishing. Her adorable and
adventure-filled middle-grade fantasy novel, TROLL SCIENCE, is on submission
now.
Helen Whistberry came to their
current calling as an author/illustrator after a long career in library work.
Helen has self-published numerous books as well as contributing horror
and fantasy stories to anthologies, and cover and interior illustrations to
various magazines and books including their own. We are preparing Helen’s
brilliantly illustrated picture book, GARY THE GARDEN GHOST, for submission.
Interviews
and Guest Posts:
13.
Please share the links to any interviews, guest posts, and podcasts you think
would be helpful to writers interested in querying you.
I had a lot of fun
doing this podcast interview a few weeks ago, and I hope it’s helpful and
encouraging to writers at all stages of their careers: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6VgGrtsSSnFEQZS2kXf0VV
Links
and Contact Info:
14.
Please share how writers should contact you to submit a query and your links on
the Web.
My username is
ajvanbelle across social platforms, and my website is www.ajvanbelle.com. I only accept
queries through Query Manager. At the moment, I’m closed to queries except
through pitch contests or referrals from existing clients, but keep an eye on
my agent profile page at https://www.thebookeralbertagency.com/aj-van-belle.html and my socials for
updates.
I also have a newsletter at https://ajvanbellenews.substack.com/. Subscribing is a
great way to get updates, pick up some advice on writing and publishing, and
hear about my own writing projects too.
Additional
Advice:
15.
Is there any other advice you’d like to share with aspiring authors that we
haven’t covered?
If there’s one
hard-won realization I could magically implant in the mind of every writer,
it’s that your success at achieving publishing landmarks such as signing with
an agent and receiving offers of publication is not the only or even the best
reflection of the worth of your work. Does your writing have to be good for
these achievements to be more likely? Yes! But can your books be smashingly,
stunningly good, and still not hit the right editor’s desk at the right time to
mean they’ll land that dream contract? Also a resounding yes.
The lesson I would
love all aspiring authors to take home from this is that the inevitable
rejections that happen in the publishing industry should not shape your
perception of yourself as a writer, and they should not affect your view of
what’s possible in the future. Everything can change for the better in a
moment. The time you’ve spent working toward becoming a published author is
time you’ve spent strengthening your craft, building your knowledge of the
weird and imperfect but wonderful world of publishing, and growing as a person
with an ever-evolving storehouse of life experience that enriches your writing.
I know you’ve been doing those things because if you weren’t, you wouldn’t be
here reading this. All that learning will make you a better writer who’s
incredibly proud of the work you produce once you do succeed.
Or, to put it more
succinctly: Keep. Writing.
Thanks for sharing all your advice, AJ.!
Giveaway Details
A.J.
is generously offering a query critique to one lucky winner. To enter, all you
need to do is be a follower (via the follower gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on
the right sidebar) and leave a comment through January 24th. If you do not want to enter the contest,
that’s okay. Just let me know in the comments. If I do not
have your email (I can no longer get it from your Google Profile), you must
leave it in the comments to enter the contest. Please be sure I have your email
address.
If you follow me on Twitter or Bluesky or mention this
contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog, mention this in the comments and
I'll give you an extra entry. This is an international giveaway.
Have any experience with this agent? See something that
needs updating? Please leave a comment or email me at natalieiaguirre7@gmail.com
Note: These agent profiles and interviews presently focus on
agents who accept children's fiction. Please take the time to verify anything
you might use here before querying an agent. The information found here is
subject to change.
Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops
Friday, January 16, I’m participating in the Winter Wishes Giveaway Hop
Monday, January 19, I have a guest post by Leslie Vedder and a giveaway of her MG The Labyrinth of Souls and The November Beast
Wednesday, January 21, I have an agent spotlight interview with Alexandra Levick and a query critique giveaway
Monday, January 28, I
have an interview with Tracy Wolff and a giveaway of her MG The Aftermyth
Sunday, February 1, I’m
participating in the Heart 2 Heart Giveaway Hop
Monday, February 2, I
have a guest post by V.T. Bidania and a giveaway of her MG A Year
Without Home
Wednesday,
February 3, I have an interview with Alichia Dow and a giveaway of her YA Until
the Clock Strikes Midnight and my IWSG post
I
hope to see you on Friday!
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